Your City Hall just approved a new short-term rental

Okay, so there was a Special Council meeting on April 21st that saw an application for a short-term rental at 1801-1788 Columbia Street get a unanimous 'In Favour' vote. This was Business Licence Application No. AL0188353. Councillors B Montague, L Zhou, and S Orr all voted in favour. Councillor R Bligh was absent for this one, as they were for the Public Hearing for the Canada Place text amendment on April 14th.

It's interesting, isn't it? We talk so much about the housing crisis, about people feeling pushed out of places like Kitsilano or Commercial Drive because finding a long-term rental feels like trying to win the lottery. Then you see City Hall approving more short-term rentals. It creates this... *yabai* feeling. This kind of tension.

*Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.*

What we're seeing is a continued balancing act, or perhaps, a lack thereof. What does this mean for the neighbourhood around Columbia Street? Will we see more of these applications come through? It's something to keep an eye on, especially with the summer tourist season just around the corner, and the city still grappling with how to keep people housed.

Kenji Nakashima, MiTL Sports Desk, Vancouver.

You can hear more about what's happening at City Hall with the team on the morning show — find it at mornings.live.